US targets Libyan militia leader with sanctions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on the leader of a militia in Libya for attacks on the country’s oil facilities.

The U.S. says Ibrahim Jadhran (ib-rah-heem jud-raan)’s attacks “robbed the Libyan people of billions of dollars in oil revenue.”

Wednesday’s action is part of a push to take forceful action against “rogue criminals and militia forces who undermine peace and security.” It blocks any property that Jadhran may have in the U.S. and prohibits Americans from doing business with him.

The North African nation has been in turmoil since an uprising in 2011 that toppled and later killed longtime ruler Moammar Gaddafi (moo-ah-mahr gah-daf-ee).